Conventional loin pulling in the hog processing industry involves a worker manually pulling a curved sharpened fixed blade, via a pair of handles attached 90.degree. relative to the blade, through the cold pork carcass to separate the loin from the belly, ribs and fatback. After each pulling operation, the worker immerses the knife into a container of 180.degree. F. water to effect cleaning and heating of the blade for another lin pull. This continual dipping or immersion of the knife into a common water bath tends to contaminate the water and defeat, or at best, make the sanitizing process questionable. The heated blade is soon chilled during the next loin pull and considerable force is required to pull the knife blade through the cold carcasses. In addition, the blades are easily dulled and must be sharpened frequently to maintain their efficiency. This labor intense procedure is one of the most difficult tasks in the hog processing procedure and results in high turnover in employment. Further, tendonitis is becoming increasingly prevalent among workers in the meat processing industry due to excess strain on the muscles in the forearm and wrist. One theory postulates that this is due to the time required to perform certain cuts along certain lines that exert the muscles and tendons to abnormal strains. If these manual force cutting operations could be assisted by mechanical aids, the prevalence of this problem should be reduced.
There is thus a definite need in the art for an improved loin pulling knife and process for separating pork loins from hog carcasses in the processing industry.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved mechanical loin pulling knife for use in the hog processing industry.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a loin pulling knife having an oscillating blade.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a system for maintaining a loin pulling knife at a continuous elevated temperature during use thereof.
An additional object of the present invention is a system for supplying a minute continuous source of sterile 180.degree. F. water to a loin pulling knife during use thereof.
Another object of the present invention is a loin pulling knife assembly that eliminates the need for open sterilizer baths in the loin pulling area of a hog processing plant.
A further object of the present invention is an improved handle assembly for a loin pulling knife.
An additional object of the present invention is a loin pulling knife that operates quicker, more efficient, and with less manual effort than that presently used in the hog processing industry.